There's a reason that so many sci-fi thrillers are set in space. Well, there are probably many reasons. But it's certainly true that the tools of space exploration often have a haunting, sterile, almost creepy quality. Vincent Fournier captures that quality in his photographs, taken at the research and operations facilities of space programs around the world. Fast Company's Co.Design blog has a great slide show of Fournier's images, which "straddle the divide between documentary and fantasy." Or, as Co.Design's Suzanne LaBarre more succinctly put it, "This guy could out-Kubrick Kubrick."

A recent Vice video (below) gives a bit more insight into Fournier and the motivation behind his work; it also shows him photographing the Kennedy Space Center in Florida inside and out as the space shuttle program drew to a close earlier this year.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

John Matson

John Matson is a former reporter and editor for Scientific American who has written extensively about astronomy and physics.

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